Post driving machine



Aug. 15, 1967 J. W. PERRY POST DRIVING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JAMES w. PERRY BY 2 Filed Jan. 18, 1965 Aug. 1967 J. W. P ERRY 3,335,804

POST DRIVING MACHINE Filed Jan. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a4 62 I I20 I60 INVENTOR.

JAMES w. PERRY hyzzw United States Patent C) 3,335,804 POST DRIVING MACHINE James W. Perry, 302 W. Colter, Phoenix, Ariz. 85013 Filed Jan. 18, 1965, Ser..No. 426,125 2 Claims. (Cl. 173112) This invention relates to a post driving machine, and, more particularly, to a post driving machine for driving metal fence posts, such as the conventional T shaped in cross section fence posts commonly used for supporting barbed or mesh wire.

It has been a problem economically and practically to provide a post driving machine which will efficiently drive metal posts into the ground and into very hard or rocky soil, and while driving such posts to maintain them in vertical disposition and to hold them straight while driving them into the ground.

Further, it has been a problem to drive metal fence posts into the ground without battering and damaging these posts, particularly when they are driven into very hard or rocky soil.

Other difliculties encountered in driving fence posts into the ground have included the matter of vertical alignment of such posts under various post driving conditions, particularly uneven terrain, and from vehicles operated or disposed on uneven terrain when moving from one fence post to driving position to the next.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a very eflicient and very simple fence post driving machine which may be used very quickly and rapidly to drive fence posts in various terrain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fence post machine having novel means for vertically aligning and guiding fence posts during the driving thereof into the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel fence post driving machine having very efficient post holdingand guiding means which automatically aligns itself vertically and which prevents deformation of the fence post during the power driving thereof into the ground.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fence post driving machine which very efiiciently holds and guides a fence post while a driving member engages the upper end of the post and which is preloaded thereagainst sothat an impact means on the driving machine of the invention may pound the post into the ground while it is initially preloaded vertically to thereby avoid battering of the upper end of the fence post and also to effectively drive the post with a minimum amount of time and power.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very novel post driving machine in which a fence post may be preloaded vertically with respect to its driving position into the ground by a substantial portion of a vehicle carrying the machine, and whereupon additional vertical impact forces may successively be applied to the post under its vertical-1y preloaded condition, thereby efiiciently driving the post into very hard or rocky ground with a minimum amount of time and power.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a post driving machine which is mounted on a mobile ground supported vehicle frame which may be moved along various terrain from one post driving position to another, and which may be disposed in a variety of angular positions while the machine of the invention automatically aligns itself vertically to dispose the post guiding means in a vertical position so that all posts are precisely aligned vertically regardless of the angular disposition of the carrying vehicle as it is disposed in a position to support the machine while driving a post.

Another object of the invention is to provide a very 'ice efiicient portable post driving machine which may be carried on a four wheel drive or other vehicle for very efficiently and quickly driving fence posts in a great variety of terrain.

Other objects and advantages of the invention may be apparent from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a post driving machine of the invention shown with a post partially driven into the ground and illustrating a ground supported vehicle frame fragmentarily; said vehicle frame being that of a mobile unit such as a four wheel drive vehicle or other comparable machine;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged top or plan view of the machine taken from the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan sectional view taken from the line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken from the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from the *line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a ground supported vehicle frame 10 may be the frame of any suitable vehicle, such as a four wheel drive vehicle adapted to be driven in rough country, or the frame 10 may be ground supported in any other manner as desired.

A mounting bracket 12 is fixed to the frame 10 and is provided with a pivot pin 14 on which a lower end of an arm 16 is pivotally mounted. A pivot pin 18 mounted on the bracket 12 pivotally mounts a lower end of a hydraulic cylinder 20 having a plunger 22 pivotally mounted by a pin 24 to an intermediate portion of the pivoted arm 16. A normally upper end of the arm 16 carries a pivot pin 26 to which is pivotally connected one end of links 28. A mounting pin 30 mounts a hydraulic cylinder 32 pivotally on an intermediate portion of the links 28, while a plunger 34 of the cylinder 32 is pivotally mounted to an intermediate portion of the arm 16 by means of a pin 36. The hydraulically powered cylinders 20' and 32 are, thus, capable of swinging the arm 16 and the links 28 outward ly and/ or upwardly, as will be hereinafter described.

Pivotally mounted between the links 28 is a universal joint member 38 having axially aligned and opposed trunnions 40 and 42 which are pivotally mounted in extending end portions 29 of the links 28.

The universal joint member 38 is provided with a second pair of trunnions 44 and 46 which are disposed at substantially right angles to the trunnions 40 and 42. These trunnions 44 and 46 are pivotally mounted -in a pair of upstanding portions 48 and 50, respectively, of a suspension bracket 52 which is fixed by means of bolts 54 to an arm 56 welded or otherwise secured to an upper end 58 of a post holding and guiding frame 60. This post holding and guiding frame 60 is composed of a pair of structural L shaped in cross section members 62 and 64 having their upper ends fixed together in connection with the bracket 56 by welding or otherwise, as hereinbefore described, and the lower ends of these L shaped in cross section members 62 and 64 are fixed together by means of a plate 66 welded thereto in a similar manner to the connection of the bracket 56 therewith. Thus the L shaped in cross section frame members 62 and 64 are fixed together and are disposed such that adjacent edge portions 68 and 70 of these L shaped in cross section members 62 and 64 are spaced apart sufficiently to permit vertical passage therebetween of a post engaging member 72, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

Fixed to the frame member 62 is a plurality of bracket elements 74 and fixed to the frame member 64 is a plurality of bracket elements 76. These elements 74 and 76 are vertically spaced along the frame members 62 and 64 as shown best in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Pivotally connected to the elements 74 and 76 by means of pins 78 and 80, respectively, are arms 82 and 84, respectively. These arms 82 and 84 carry guides 86 and 88 adapted to guide fence posts adjacent to guide bars 90 and 92, as will be hereinafter described. The bars 90 and 92 as shown in FIG. 3 are fixed to the angle frame members 62 and 64 and the bracket elements 74 and 76 support the guides 86 and 88 in slightly spaced relation with the bars 90 and 92, respectively, whereby flanges 94 of a T shaped in cross section post may be disposed between the guides 86 and 88 and the bars 90 and92.

Adjacent edge portions 96 and 98 of the guides 86 and 88, respectively, are spaced apart to receive one center flange 100 of a T shaped in cross section post, all as shown best in FIG. 3 of the drawings.

Fixed to the guides 86 and 88 are actuator arms 102 and 104, respectively. These actuator arms 102 and 104 are provided with pivot pins 106 and 108, which respectively pivotally mount a plunger 110 and its respective hydraulic cylinder 112. The axis of the cylinder and the plunger being inwaard of the pins 78 and 80, whereby retraction of the plunger 110 into the cylinder 112 causes pivotal locking of the guide bars 86 and 88 in a position as shown in FIG. 3 wherein the guides 86 and 88 are in spaced relation with the bars 90 and 92 and the adjacent edges 96 and'98 of the guides 86 and 88 are spaced so that a T shaped in cross section post may be disposed in vertical guided position, and whereby the post engaging member 72 may engage an upper end of a post at the intersection of its T flange structures, all as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings.

The post engaging member 72 is fixed on a hammer carriage 114 which is vertically slidably mounted in the post guiding frame 60 and between the frame members 62 and 64, as shown in FIG. 5. This hammer carriage 114 is provided with gib portions 116 and 118 engaged by bearings 120 and 122 held 'by bars 124 and 126 fixed to the inner sides of the frame members 62 and 64 to thus retain frontal portions of the hammer carriage in sliding relationsip with gib bearings 128 .and 130. Thus the hammer carriage is vertically slidably movable in the post holding and guiding frame 60.

A rod 132 is provided with opposite ends 134 and 136 mounted in respective slots 138 shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. These slots 138 are disposed in opposite sides of the hammer carriage '114 and permit relative vertical movement of the rod 132 to which a plunger 140 of a hydraulic cylinder .142 is connected. Thus, the plunger 140 is connected to the bar 136 and a pin 144 pivotally mounts the hydraulic cylinder 142 to a bracket 146 fixed to the frame members 62 and 64. Thus, retraction of the plunger 140 may tend to .urge thehammer carriage 114 downwardly.

The plunger 140 is sufliciently long to move the hammer carriage 114 upwardly to a position considerably abovethat shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, so that the post engaging member 72 may be engaged with the upper end of a substantially long fence post, such as that shown at 148 in-FIG. 1 of the drawings.

A hammer 150 is vertically slidably mounted on the frame members 62 and 64in a manner similar to the vertical mounting of the hammer carriage 114, however, the hammer 150 is vertically movably mounted relative to upper edge portions 152 and 154 of the hammer carriage 114, as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. Lower edge portions 156 and 158 of the hammer carriage are adapted to pound on the upper edge portions 152 and 154 of the hammer carriage 114 to create impactloading on the member 72 which is firmly engaged with the upper end of a post 148 by retraction of thhe plunger 140' of the hydraulic cylinder 142.

Mounted in the hammer carriage 114 is a hydraulic motor 160 having a sheave 162 engaged by belts 164 which pass over another sheave 166 mounted on a crank shaft 168. A crank pin 170 of the crank shaft is engaged by a bearing 172 of a connecting rod 174 which is provided at its normally upper end with a wrist pin bearing 176. This wrist pin bearing 176 surrounds a wrist pin 178 which is mounted in bearing cradles 180 and 182 in the hammer 150.

Plate springs 184 and 186 are secured by bolts 188 and 190 to the hammer 150 and these plate springs 184 and 186 engage lower portions of the wrist pin 178 below the cradle portions 180 and 182. Thus, the crank pin 170 is adapted to overtravel an impact or engaged position of the edges 156 and 158 of the hammer with the edges 152 and 154 of the hammer carriage. In this manner each rotating cycle of the crank shaft 168 causes the crank pin 170 to move the connecting rod 174 upwardly and force the wrist pin 178 to raise the hammer 150, whereupon downward rotation of the crank pin 170 brings the hammer downward in a forceful manner to cause impact of the hammer 150 at the edges 156 and 158 with the edges 152 and 154 of the hammer and the carriage, respectively. This raising and lowering of the hammer and successive impact operation of the hammer with the hammer carriage causes the post engaging member 72 to apply impact force to the upper end of the post 148 and during this time, and according to the modeof operation of the invention, the hydraulic cylinder 142 retracts its plunger 140 to hold the hammer carriage 114 downwardly and to hold the engaging member 72 firmly engaged with the upper end of the post. This prevents battering the post, and also permits a preloading of the post vertically to a magnitude which equals the weight of the machine of the invention and a portion of the weight of the vehicle of which the frame 10 is a part. The hydraulic cylinders 20 and 32 also hold the arm 16 and links 28 downwardly to maintain a reaction force acting to prevent upward movement of the frame 60.

-It will be seen that the universal joint means 38 shown in FIG. 2 permits the frame 60 to be suspended vertically, and this frame 60 will seek a vertical position by reason of gravity acting thereon. Thus, the universal joint means 38 will permit the frame 60 automatically to seek a vertical position regardless of the angular disposition of the frame 10 or the vehicle supporting this frame, regardless of the disposition of the vehicle on uneven ground, and this is a good advantage when moving from one post driving position to the next.

It will be appreciated that the hydraulic cylinder 142 serves to preload the engaging member 72 on the upper end of the post and this preload may equal a substantial portion of the weight of the frame and the vehicle together with that of the machine itself, including the frame 50. Further, the impact-hammering of the hammer 150 on the carriage frame 114 in addition to the preload force supplied by the cylinder 142 on the post 148 serves to efliciently drive the post in very hard ground or rocky ground with a minimum amount of power and without battering the upper end of the post, and the full length post guides 86 and 88 together with the bars and 92 fullysupport all elements of the post and thereby prevent long column failure or buckling of the post while it is being forced and driven by impact into the ground.

vIt will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in a manner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an impact machine, the combination of a ground supported frame; a second frame pivotally mounted on said ground supported frame; first means for forcing said second frame downwardly relative to said ground supported frame; a driven member engaging means movably mounted on said second frame; a hammer movably mounted on said second frame and disposed to impose impact force on said driven member engaging means; means for operating said hammer vertically relative to said second frame and said driven member engaging means; and second means connected to said second frame and to said driven member engaging means, said second means carried by said second frame and tending to hold said driven member engaging means downwardly relative to said second frame, said second means yieldable in a direction to permit said driven member engaging means to move downwardly relative to said second frame in response to impact force of said hammer acting on said driven member engaging means.

2. The invention, as defined in claim 1, wherein: said first means and said second means are disposed to react against weight of said ground supported frame, when a driven member is between the ground and said engaging means, such that weight of said ground supported frame is imposed on said driven member engaging means continuously during the vertical impact operation of said hammer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 42,038 3/1864 Wood 173-128 250,778 12/1881 Blake 173-22 1,167,921 1/1916 Newhall 173-22 2,901,232 8/1959 Lewis 173-122 2,958,201 11/1960 Moore 173-43 3,026,949 3/1962 Eldridge et al. 173-43 3,117,635 1/1964 Deerkoski 173-43 3,242,997 3/1966 Tokola 173-132 FRED C. MATTERN, 111., Primary Examiner.

L. P. KESSLER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN AN IMPACT MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF: A GROUND SUPPORTED FRAME; A SECOND FRAME PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID GROUND SUPPORTED FRAME; FIRST MEANS FOR FORCING SAID SECOND FRAME DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID GROUND SUPPORTED FRAME; A DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND FRAME; A HAMMER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SECOND FRAME AND DISPOSED TO IMPOSE IMPACT FORCE ON SAID DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS; MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID HAMMER VERTICALLY RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND FRAME AND SAID DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS; AND SECOND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND FRAME AND TO SAID DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS, SAID SECOND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SECOND FRAME AND TENDING TO HOLD SAID DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND FRAME, SAID SECOND MEANS YIELDABLE IN A DIRECTION TO PERMIT SAID DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID SECOND FRAME IN RESPONSE TO IMPACT FORCE OF SAID HAMMER ACTING ON SAID DRIVEN MEMBER ENGAGING MEANS. 